AGM 2008

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING OF THE

NEUROANAESTHESIA SOCIETY OF GB & IRELAND

MARRIOTT FOREST OF ARDEN 8^TH MAY 2008

PRESENT Basil Matta (Chair), 2 Officers, 7 Members of Council, 19 Full Members.

1) APOLOGIES None

2) MINUTES OF 2007 AGM EDINBURGH The minutes were agreed as a true representation of the meeting.

3) MATTERS ARISING There were no matters arising from the 2007 AGM minutes

4) PRESIDENT'S REPORT

The President reported that following detailed discussion at Council, the Society would be best served by introducing 100% electronic communication during the course of this Summer. It will be incumbent upon Members to keep the Society notified of an appropriate email address in order to receive all future communications irrespective of their nature.

Changes in legislation regarding Charities are being studied carefully to ascertain their impact on the previously perceived advantages of this status to the NASGBI. Professional opinion is being sought.

The Society continues to contribute to national initiatives and is a member of the Joint Neurosciences Council. We continue to support the development of NCCNet and have a Council member on the committee.

Council members have been allocated different roles in the process of business of the Society and they will report on these roles and their progress.

5) COUNCIL MEMBERS REPORTS

Plat Razis – Industrial sponsorship. Communicating with the industry to try to establish time contractural support from companies in return for funding and links via the Society's website. Companies who have products of relevance to Neuroanaesthesia and Neuro Critical Care may fund live links from our website and for a further financial consideration, would be allocated preferential terms for a trade stand at the ASM and have literature placed in the conference pack. Companies may wish to hire a “web room” for a period of time to present a subject of interest to Members; hence the importance of driving Members to visit the website frequently. There has been initial interest from companies approached. Council will discuss the progress and decide upon the suitability of this approach to sponsorship.

Ian Tweedie – NCCNet representative. Acting as Secretary to the NCCNet committee. The aim of the Net is to bring together NCCU's in their management of specific aspects of brain injury in order that best practice pathways can be agreed. Traumatic brain injury is to be the first project. A joint application for funding from NIHR, with ICNARC has been successful at the first stage.

Praveen Manthri – Webmaster. The new NASGBI website is complete and is much more versatile than the previous one. There is a members area which can be accessed by a username and password. It is essential that the Society holds an appropriate email address for members. Shortly, members will be receiving their membership numbers from our Specialst Society Secretarial support service at the AAGBI. This will be needed to log in along with their email address.

John Andrzejowski – Audits / Surveys & Web use. Medical publishers are being contacted to ascertain their interest in their publications being reviewed on our website.

Audits and surveys are to become web based. Council is considering two commercial options (Survey Monkey and Zoomerang) which will cost the Society an annual subscription (c£350 pa). An alternative will be for us to incorporate our own template from a software package over which we will have total flexibility and control and no ongoing financial costs after the purchase of the software. The latter will be no more difficult to use than the subscription services as the questionnaires are set up in an identical manner.

Samantha Shinde – Linkmen & Training / Education. The linkman database is now up to date.

Council are compiling a database with relevant contacts of Neuro Units with specific areas of interest / expertise and those who fund Clinical Fellow posts. The NASGBI have contributed to career advice in Neuroanaesthesia in the GAT Handbook and is contributing to the first stage of the e learning programme of the RCoA. The Society has contributed to the Correct Site Surgery document published by the NPSA. Consideration is being given by Council to the possibility of regionally based seminars in addition to the ASM as budgets for CPD dwindle.

6) TREASURERS REPORT

The Treasurer reported that the financial position of the Society was strong. Reserves increase annually with interest from deposit accounts and surpluses from ASM's. The annual running of the Society's Council should aim to be met from annual membership subscriptions and with this in mind, considering the increased size of the Council, it was proposed to increase the membership subscription for the first time in many years to £25 pa with immediate effect for 2008. This proposal was agreed. The Members were reminded that the subscription was tax deductable and it was agreed that to organise gift aiding to the Society would be of minimal financial benefit so Members were free to claim the income tax rebate for themselves.

The Harvey Grannat fund was boosted by over £3000 due to gift aiding to reclaim tax on the donated sum.

Investments have been agreed to be placed largely in long term growth plans on the advice of our charitable bankers who will advise on appropriate funds. We retain ready access to the equivalent of two years operating costs to the Society.

The Bank of Scotland account which has been receiving Standing Orders has now been closed and hence any Members who were still only paying by this method will have forfeited Membership under constitutional rules.

7) REAPPOINTMENT OF AUDITORS It was proposed (Nigel Huggins) and seconded (Martin Smith) that Messers Lonsdale & Marsh be reappointed as the Society's Auditors.

8) SECRETARY'S REPORT

The Secretary reported membership numbers as 272 Full and 71 Trainee. The Council members were thanked for their initiatives and progress in the commencement of their roles within Council.

Members were reminded of the existence of a Society fund to aid travel nationally and internationally to further education in Neuroanaesthesia and promote the Society. Recipients of Council financial will present a short report to the following years ASM.

With regard to regional meetings, Members could be given reduced registration rates.

The running of future ASM's is likely to have to be done from a Council level, with local input to advise on suitable venues with due consideration given to all requirements for a successful meeting. This includes trade housing and standard meeting requirements including suitable accommodation. It is due to current ABPI regulations that pharmaceutical support is becoming more difficult to obtain; this coupled with our charitable status puts unreasonable and immense financial pressure on local organisers. It is for this reason that it is suggested that Council take control of the meeting with local host advice on venue and input on content.

It is imperative that Members keep the Society updated with an appropriate email address when communication becomes totally electronic in the summer.

We continue to be indebted to Mrs Grannat for her support of the Trainees presentation prize at the ASM.

9) CLINICAL EXCELLENC AWARDS Martin Smith reported on the first round of applications supported by the NASGBI as a nominating Society in its own right. The 2009 round is already underway and he suggested applicants get their nominational support into the Society by October this year in order for the nominations to be put to the RCoA prior to their final listing of recommendations.

10) ANY OTHER BUSINESS

It was suggested that recently retired Members could be recognised by a nominated guest lecture at the appropriate ASM.

It was also suggested that Honorary Membership could be conveyed upon anyone who had made an outstanding contribution to Neuroanaesthesia

Both of these suggestions will be considered by Council.

11) DATE OF NEXT MEETING Thursday 7^th May in Liverpool

The meeting concluded at 18.30.